Training Table Blues
Disclaimer/Author's Notes: Kim Possible and all the characters of the show are owned by the Disney Company. All other characters can be blamed on the author (he, however, is not responsible for all of their actions at all times, being barely responsible for himself most of the time….).
All references to any specific character or product by names mentioned in this story are not intended to parody or reflect negatively on the correspondingly existing products; any and all similarities are coincidental.
This is a strictly not-for-profit, just-for-fun work.
You can read this without reading the background stories, but I would highly recommend (shameless plug) Black Hole Deep, version 2.0 and BE, S 1: Blue Eyes, Shining. You'll enjoy this story even more, and this story will make more sense if it's read in context.
To everyone who has read thus far and continues to read and review: thank you: your reads and reviews continue to fuel me.
A/N Forward:
A few loose ends to wrap up….
Epilogue
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Chapter 10: Epilogue
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(Information release authorized from the following source:
Archives and logs of Dr. Andrea Jocelyn Possible-Load)
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(Dr. Andrea Jocelyn Possible-Load)
Ron, Kim, Wade, and I all finally headed to Wade's house and arrived about 3:30 AM; we had pancakes waiting for us.
Neither Ryan nor Rachel had been able to sleep after Kim told her what Wade and I were doing, and Ryan had gone to the kitchen to relax. I was sure glad he cooked: his pancakes were platinum, and he made more than enough for people who'd been out all night fighting fires, chasing down bad guys and taking them off the street, and trying not to die. We had some firemen that followed us home, checking on us and the neighborhood: they had the pleasure of Ryan's pancakes, and they left the house stuffed and happy
Momma2 was waiting there for me, as well, and she grabbed me and hugged me, smoke and all.
I lost it then, and I blubbered like a three-year-old.
Sarah, Alex, Jen and Chip were all waiting for us at the house. The four of them had already filled Ryan, Rachel, and Momma2 in on what was happening, as much as they knew.
Betty had GJ units out, assisting the Fire and Police departments, the police in advisory only so as not to violate 'Posse Comitatus.'
I got another round of kisses from Sarah and Alex, and a very healthy one from Jennifer, much to Alex's jealous chagrin. Jennifer explained it simply: "Well, A, I'm just getting caught up with you, even though you've been indulging in your 'het' kisses," and she leaned over and kissed Alex on the cheek. Whatever she whispered to her, I don't know, but I'd not seen Alex that red, ever.
"Wade," I whispered, "what's 'het?'"
Wade smiled at me and whispered back "heterosexual."
"Got it; thanks, Wade," I learned something new every day.
While Ryan was feeding all of us, Rachel and Ron re-arranged the great room and put out sleeping bags for everyone without a bed at the house. Wade asked for, and got permission to have, a sleeping bag in there, as well: he asked both Momma2 and MTB, and they both gave their permission.
Momma2 handed me her cell:
"Sweet Tea?" Daddy sounded like I felt.
"Daddy?" I broke down again when I heard his voice, and he did, too; he'd been up all night, waiting to hear from me, and I felt guilty. We both had a good cry, and he gave me permission to sleep with the group.
I don't remember going to bed or even going to sleep, but I woke up in one sleeping bag and Wade in another, and we were holding hands now. I think I remember holding hands when I lay down, but I'm not certain. If we weren't, Wade must have taken my hand after I'd gone to sleep, and we were like that all night.
He looked so calm this morning; I guess it was being smoke-free that did it. I glanced over and choked back laughs:
Every pair slept the same way we did: holding hands, and in separate sleeping bags: Alex and Jennifer, Chip and Sarah, Ron and Kim.
Slipping my hand out of Wade's, I got up and snuck into Wade's room.
The first thing I saw when I opened the door was the melted screen on the charred WadeBot, sitting in the middle of the floor, where Ron had placed him.
I couldn't help it: I started crying and fell to the floor to hug the terminated hero.
"Thank you, WadeBot, for saving my Wade," and I kissed his charred monitor top and hugged him for awhile.
I finally stood and turned on one of the monitors to see what had happened and how bad things were:
Two dead, 10 houses suffered fire damage, destroyed, the Middleton Paris Hotel was closed for the foreseeable future ('Gee, I wonder why?' I thought), and five restaurants were damaged from open-flame grills that had gotten out of control and not been doused by their fire suppression systems.
I moaned: The Teen Settlement was one of the restaurants damaged, with extensive smoke damage.
Three more arrests, later that night, and an investigation was underway and changes planned to prevent the water system from being attacked again.
"We were lucky," and I heard a splash behind me.
"Lucky! You made it: good," I went over and fed him and his 'friend' that Wade had acquired last year.
"So: what's the sitch?" my favorite voice asked, and I turned-
And was greeted by a morning kiss.
I could get used to this, every morning, forever.
"I'm sorry, Joss," Wade told me when we broke for air.
"Apology accepted, Wade, but remember, guy:
"You ever try that stunt again, Wade Agamemnon Load, and I'll kill you, myself," I grinned and kissed his nose.
"Just as long as you promise not to ever die on me, Andrea Jocelyn Possible," he smiled back and kissed my nose.
"Jeez, get a room, you two," Sarah came in, smiling even more, I supposed, because of the Chip on her hip.
"You two are worse than us," Alex came in: hooked, of course, to Jen.
"Wow, look at all this," Jennifer whispered.
"I'll bet you never expected to end up in your professor's bedroom, did you, Jennifer?"
Wade was so bad.
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I never knew that there was so much paperwork after an incident; in this case, the incident was referenced as 'The Sleepytime Engagement.'
Both Momma2 and Kim made Wade and I write separate after-action reports, and then they both grilled us over every action, us separately and together by the two of them, for over four hours.
"This is what you'd better get ready to do, if you are planning to do this on a regular basis," Kim told us as we wrapped up our joint review. "Law enforcement agencies at all levels will want to debrief you after your involvement, if for no reason but that you aren't theirs."
"You can't lose your cool, like Will Du used to do," Momma2, in her 'Elizabeth Director' persona, added. "You've got to maintain your composure; especially you, Joss, because lots of the 'good ol' boys' will think nothing of trying to run over Kim's cousin, because she has already made them look foolish, at least once."
"Yes, ma'am," I replied.
"Yes, ma'am," Wade replied.
Kim and Betty both stood, and we followed their lead.
"We covered the flaws in your actions, and you understand how to correct them," Kim stared at Wade with Ron's 'serious face,' "as well as the consequences if you had not had those suits: we'd be attending funerals, not this session. I will not lose a member of Team Possible," and then she smiled, "and neither would I want to lose a very dear friend, my cousin or her fiancée, let alone either half or all of the leadership of an important organization like BlazeIT!" and Kim walked around the table and hugged Wade, then me.
"Good collar, you two: I'm proud of you."
The review with the Middleton Police and Fire IA (Internal Affairs) and IAR (Inter-Agency Relations) organizations weren't as easy, but we were ready for them after Kim and Momma2. They ran us through both IA and IAR reviews because they couldn't figure out just how to treat us: we weren't PIs, and we weren't exactly KP or Team Possible, either, since we were there originally to perform search and rescue; at least, that's what the 'official' report said.
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One thing that I learned to do, during all of my sitting time, waiting outside of courtrooms and waiting for IA and IR: knitting, of all things.
Rachel knew how to knit, and she had absconded with Sarah's torn sweater: Carlene Best had given it to her.
It seems that Sarah, in a fit of anger and frustration at not being to repair it herself, had flung it in the trash and run back into her room, bawling, and Stephen had recovered it and given it to Carlene, asking, "Momma, can you teach me to knit? I want to fix this for Sarah."
So, Rachel taught me how to carefully remove the damaged areas and re-knit them into the sweater in such a way that Sarah couldn't find the repaired area. Rachel even hand-washed and hand-dyed the sweater carefully to get the original yarn back to its original color, so all of the yarn was exactly the same color.
Rachel called Carlene, and she brought Stephen over. He took one look at the now-repaired sweater and burst into tears as he ran and hugged a very-surprised Rachel. She took his head, tilted it up so he could see, and pointed to me.
He slammed into me and blubbered for what seemed like hours, finally looking up at my face and barely whispering, "Thank you, Joss."
I was in Wade's room (he was at the lab on-campus with some students) when Sarah threw open the door, wearing her sweater.
"I'm so happy I could kiss you!" she ran and hugged me, soaking the shoulder of my blouse with her tears.
"Um, Sarah: no floods allowed in here: Lucky could get out," I whispered, and that stopped the crying and turned it into laughter.
"How can I ever thank you, Joss?"
"Keep an eye on my Wade at school: there are too many 'hotties' out there, all wanting a piece of rich, dark chocolate," and she and I hugged again, and we went out to show Rachel what she had resurrected.
"Deal, GF," she replied, and she told me the history of the sweater and her grandmother's knitting….
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Three months later, the Middleton Teen Settlement re-opened.
Most of the down-time was not the repair and cleaning, though: it was the upgrades funded by the anonymous donor to the tune of…well, let's just say that the furniture, kitchen, rest rooms, stage, and sound system are now all state-of-the-art. The space was 50 per cent bigger: the contractor worked night and day to meet his contract and get his bonus for on-time completion. I never did learn who the owners were….
We were all seated at a large group of tables pulled together: Daddy and an obviously-pregnant Momma2 had come with us, as did Ryan and Rachel Load, Aunt Anne and Uncle James (and even Nana and, an even bigger surprise, Steve Barkin!). Ron's folks had to beg off: they had an Actuarial to attend, and Hana had a babysitter.
"Poor babysitter," Kim smirked, and Ron hit her on the shoulder.
Chip and Sarah joined us, as did Alex and Jennifer.
Ron disappeared for a moment, returning wearing his chef's coat and hat, and pushing a rolling cart with two huge trays on it: one on top and another on the lower shelf.
I had to physically hold my mouth closed, but Kim and Wade and Sarah just sat there, smiling: we'd all been here, before….
"Chef Ronald 'as prepared ze meal for tonight, and it is ze extra special for ze extra-special occasion, ladies and gentlemen."
"What is it, Ron?" Alex asked.
"Tonight's main course is 'Le Bout rôti de Moufette au jus."
Wade smirked, as did Sarah. I played dumb
"Mmmm," Jennifer replied (I knew she spoke French, but she was having fun). "Sounds extra-dee-lish, Ronald. What is it?"
"An old family recipe, Doctors Ps and Ls," and Ron lifted the lid to reveal the extra-large furry black-and-white tail stretched out on the super-sized serving tray.
"Roasted Skunk Butt."
"RON!" Came from Daddy and Uncle James at the same time.
Dead silence, then laughter filled the entire room.
I played my role, complete with a wicked grin on my face.
"Pepe!" I cried out, and Ron looked shocked.
"Ron, you killed Pepe Le Pew!" the laughter started up again when I leaned over the tail and mock-wept.
"You've done in the 'solon of love,'" I continued to even more laughs, and I picked up the skunk tail and began to fan myself with it
"Ah do decla', Ah believe Ahm's havin' the vapo's," I continued to fan, and the laughs exploded when Wade started singing 'Elderly Man River.'
Ron lifted the lid on the other tray, and everyone laughed (and breathed a sigh of relief) when they found the massive pile of buffalo burgers (not buffalo chips), all Ron-made, and salad.
The laughs finally died, and we all dug in after Ron served us.
It was a typical Ron Stoppable meal: exquisite, and much, much better than the alternative.
The room had an improved sound system that was section-controlled, so we had no music over our tables as we ate and talked.
Chip, Alex, and Jennifer all excused themselves after dinner and headed backstage. We talked for awhile longer, mostly about Hana, Momma2's changes: her new (to a few of them) eye, and her upcoming twins, and Aunt Anne's twins stories, annotated by Kim to laughs from all of us.
"We're baaaaaaaaaaaack!" and the crowd roared as the announcer cut the piped-in music.
"It's been a few months since we've been open after a bad night's sleep," and everyone laughed.
"But, it's 9:30, and you know what that means," the announcer intoned, and the audience cheered.
"It's 'Electronics Night' at the Settlement, and that means that The "Upgraded" Motherboards are in the house!" and the crowd yelled as the band kicked off with some hard rock, and segued after three songs into a ballad.
"Here's an original for you 'drinking-age' people," and the laughs kicked off with a hard, fast rock beat, and Chip and Alex and Jennifer, the new bass and guitar and vocal band members, respectively, kicked off "Party Time," along with Chip. It ended with a huge round of applause.
I thought Daddy and Momma2 were going to bust a gut when they heard it, and even Uncle James laughed with Aunt Anne. Ryan and Rachel almost fell out of their chairs; of course, Nana sang along with everybody: she already knew the words.
They did another ballad-style piece, then Chip kicked them into some Tom Lehrer, of all things, and they went through several songs that left the audience in stitches.
After only one Beatles' song, Chip put the mike back on the stand and slipped on a wireless headset.
"We had a major upgrade after one of the band members tried to 'put me to sleep,'" and he introduced Alex and Jennifer to the audience, and they roared their approval.
"We have some special people here tonight, and I was asked by several people, including the Management, to do a special performance of one of their favorite songs, just for the four of them.
"Ron Stoppable and Kim Possible," and Ron and Kim stood to loud applause.
"Dr. Wade Load and Jocelyn Possible," and Wade and I both stood as the applause grew and the audience all stood.
"Ladies and Gentlemen, to the stage, if you please. You know the drill: it's old-school 1960s 'United States BandMaster' dancing tonight, showcasing the couples," and we were all four escorted to the stage.
Ron took Kim's hand, and Wade took mine.
Then, the music started, but it was a different song than before, and I realized that Kim and Ron had snuck off the stage and left Wade and I alone, up here.
We danced, anyway.
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(Chip) I've walked in the wrong direction; I've played with the doubt inside my mind
(+Alex and Jennifer, in harmony) de de de de de de de de
(Chip) I've sunk in my own reflection, I've passed every mountain I could climb
(+Alex and Jennifer) de de de de de de de de
I glanced over Wade's shoulder, and Sarah was up on stage with Chip, holding a microphone, singing to Chip as he sang to and with her.
(Sarah) I've dreamt of a calmer ocean, I've swum so much deeper through the blue
I've toyed with the darkest notion, But I've never held a man like you,
(+Alex and Jennifer)like you
(Sarah and Chip, in harmony)I've wished that I could hold someone like you
"Did you realize that it's been almost a year since the last time we were up on this stage?" I whispered.
"Hush, Joss," was his reply, and Wade pulled me closer as we continued to dance.
(Chip) I've cleaned up one thousand tables(the audience laughed), I've cleaned up drunk cheerleaders and (he paused for a second) jocks (to even more laughs)
(+Alex and Jennifer) de de de de de de de de
(Chip) I've even done athlete's laundry; I've washed, oh, so many dirty(he paused for a second) socks (more laughter)
(+Alex and Jennifer) de de de de de de de de
(Sarah) I've danced with evening spirits, I've seen every star there is to view;
I've read every poet's lyrics, But I've never been with a man like you,
(+Alex and Jennifer) like you
(Sarah and Chip, in harmony) I've dreamed that I could hold someone like you
The keyboard joined in, and Wade took both my hands. He grinned, and I felt my heart beat faster. He spun me out, holding me all the way, then pulled me back in and caught me, and I felt like Ginger Rogers dancing with a gorgeous, bronzed Fred. I'd never felt like this before, and I liked how I felt.
Sarah opened up her vocal chords this time, and she surprised me and most of the crowd:
(Sarah) I know all the rules to every game,
I know when the skies will start to rain
How come I never knew your name?
"All you had to do was ask Kim," I whispered, and Wade chuckled into my ear.
And when every dream that I rely
all turn to sand, and if I die
Sarah suddenly got a lot quieter, and she and Chip sang together::
(Sarah and Chip, in harmony) Please, won't you be the one to cry (for me).
"Yes, I will," we both whispered, and Wade beat me to it:
"Jinx! You owe me."
I backed away from Wade and mimicked the song lyrics, spreading my arms apart as if I were trying to capture the world:
(Sarah) One night by a moonlit river, I would give the world to have you there
(+Alex and Jennifer) de de de de de de de de
(Chip) One song that my soul delivers as an answer to my prayer
(+Alex and Jennifer) de de de de de de de de
Wade stepped over to me and took me into his arms again, and we danced together, again.
(Chip) I'll wait 'til the mountains fall,
I've stood 'til the skies came tumbling, too
(+Alex and Jennifer and Sarah) I will sacrifice and give it all
Wade took both of my hands again, and he looked so serious, I could have cried:
(Chip) now that I'm holding a woman like you, like you
Then Wade took me back into his arms, and he looked directly into my eyes, and Chip sang as if I were the only person in the room:
now that I know I love a woman like you, like you, like you
Wade kissed me tenderly on the lips as the song ended, and the audience cheered as he pulled me into a tight hug.
"I love you, Andrea Jocelyn Possible."
"I love you, Wade Agamemnon Load."
He pulled back a bit so he could see my face, and he bore those beautiful browns into my eyes.
"Welcome to the future, blue eyes," he smiled:
Brown eyes, smiling back at me.
"No, my Wade," I corrected him.
"Welcome to our future," and I hugged him.
I could really get used to this.
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Chapter now complete.
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Story now complete.
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Author's afterward:
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This will be long, so be forewarned.
As I wrap up this story, I look back, somewhat in shock:
The first chapter of this entire tale was published on September 1st, and I had no expectation of continuing. Then, the two questions came:
Why did Wade remain in his room all the time, and
What happened to Joss Possible's mom?
The results, to date, are over 350,000 words of JadeKimVerse in just over 10 months.
I am partial to the JadeKimVerse, if for no other reason that I can understand what both Wade and Joss are going through (been there, done that, had friends in similar sitches).
Many of you have been with me since the first story, and several more have come on after I began. To both groups of individuals: thank you for coming along with me on this ride.
Then, you honored me with a shared Fannie award for 2006 Best New Writer in KP FanFiction, voted by you, the fans; my body couldn't take the shock, and I ended up out of commission for three weeks after that announcement (note: no, alcohol was not the cause of this hiatus: see my profile for details).
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For this tale, I have some special thanks to offer:
A very special set of thanks go out to the following for hanging in with me on this almost eight-month voyage, providing guidance, information, opinions (like they could ever resist doing so), and encouragement during this romp through the lives of our heroes and on the events documented here:
A Markov
AtomicFire
CajunBear73
campy
Chaosengine
Cyrus Majin
dartblade
Desslock3
DuffKilliganFan
Joe Stoppinghem
Kim's #1 fan
King in Yellow
mkusenagi2
Pharaoh Rutin Tutin
Sir Sebastian
Star-Eva01
whitem
Zokolov
Zaratan
These individuals also provided me with a strong support group, especially when I returned from my unscheduled Multiple Sclerosis one-month hiatus during the month of March: I cannot thank you enough for the emails and calls I received while I was out and after I returned. My undying thanks and gratitude goes out to each and every one of you, along with a double-orders of Nacos and Chimeratos, (extra cheese and grande-sized, of course) and super-large Slurpsters.
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Several of you including, but not limited to, Star-Eva01, Sir Sebastian, and Zaratan: I've had many, many discussions with you regarding disparate topics and providing expertise on topics that left me speechless more times than not (their expertise, not the topics). I learned more about Canadian politics than I thought I'd need, but I was wrong: Thanks, Zaratan.
CajunBear73, whitem, and Pharaoh Rutin Tutin for virtual beta'ing me over the past three months as I slammed them with multiple passes at multiple chapters as the story grew like Drakken's reasons for not taking over the world (and Shego's jokes about his reasons…)..
The roasted animal (recycled and modified) referred to in this story, BE,S SI: Oops…, and BE,S TGIB: MY Story is a running joke from one of my favorite writers, Rocinante, used to honor this wonderful writer. If you have not read the 'Celler' series, I heartily recommend it, even over my own. This writer brings Kim Possible to life for the reader…seriously.
Thank you, once again, King in Yellow, for truly making me 'almost' speechless with your comments. I am truly humbled by your statements, and I intend to keep that bar at this level or higher for myself.
A very special thank you to new friends: new in that I met them after I began this tale:
Sir Sebastian, the Finnish Sensation, for his wonderful and humorous reviews as well as off-line discussions; his stories continue to make me believe that he's in line for a Fannie or two this year. Look for more of his stories, coming out soon: you'll enjoy them.
Pharaoh Rutin Tutin, the Egyptian Eagle-eye, for flying air cover for me for the entire tale/epic, both beta-ing at times and keeping me in line with discussions on everything (including RuGo) as well as getting me kick-started after my unscheduled vacation in March of 2007. Look for more of his stories, coming out soon: you'll enjoy them (just beware the RuGo!).
CajunBear73, for insightful reviews and off-line discussions that led me to believe that there was much more hiding in Louisiana than Huey Long: that expertise, and his bon-diggity beta skills, are the reasons that I invited him on "The Middleton Files" journey through The Twilight Zone. Look for his first stories coming out soon, and get ready for real entertainment and talent.
Thanks, guys: I can only hope I've helped you as much as you have helped me.
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And, as I have said already and will continue to shout from the mountaintops:
Twila Starla, I will forever be in you debt.
The four-way brain switch referenced in this story and delivered in "Oops…"was her idea; I just expanded on it a bit. Your idea has taken hold of my JadeKimVerse and impacts it, even 20-30 years into its future.
As the co-holder of the title of AngstMaster-General, I have appointed Twila as my official 'Oops' muse. Whether she accepts the title or not is up to her; it, however, will always be hers to own.
I cannot thank you enough, Twila, for pushing me to create that tale.
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One of the most important people that I would be seriously remiss if I omitted her from this list is Jana S: she was the inspiration behind Jocelyn's actions on the road that night (Chapter 8: Late August, event minus 6 weeks….), because she did the same thing for another young man: stayed with him, as one Angel, when another Angel came and took him Home. Jana, I've told you publicly before, and I'll say it again:
YOU ROCK in FULL DOLBY!
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Those unannounced readers who have read and not reviewed: thanks for stopping by. I hope I've given you some laughs, some tears, and some things to think about.
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For all the Jade fans:
Thanks for your continued support, and PM me if you have any questions about the JadeKimVerse. I respond to all PMs, emails, and reviews.
Thanks again for reading, and please review.
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